Ahead of the new La Liga season, ONE's fantasy football desk has posed the question every Spanish-football manager in Israel is quietly arguing about: is it Lamine Yamal or Kylian Mbappé who deserves to be the first name entered on a fantasy team sheet.
The two dominated the fantasy game a season ago, and ONE's preview crowns them the joint most expensive assets again this year, both priced at 15 million in the game's currency. But the site gives a narrow edge to Yamal at the top of its rankings.
The reasoning is about how the points arrive rather than raw output. Yamal, ONE writes, is close to the prototype fantasy player: he scores, he assists, he creates chances and he never stops trying to beat a man, meaning his fantasy floor stays high even in matches where a goal does not arrive.
Mbappé, by contrast, is described as more purely reliant on finishing. He was ruthless in front of goal for Real Madrid last season, which is why he still ranks second overall, but ONE notes his fantasy return leans much more heavily on the number of times he actually finds the net.
Behind the two superstars, the preview argues this season's fantasy field is far deeper than last year's, when Yamal and Mbappé effectively ran away with the competition. Vinícius Júnior is listed among the leading alternatives: when fit and sharp, the Brazilian can produce goals, assists and the kind of dribbling numbers that translate directly into fantasy points.
Raphinha, when fit and playing regularly, is flagged as a reliable points source for Barcelona, while Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham is praised for being difficult to pin down statistically — a midfielder capable of scoring, assisting or grinding out defensive and creative numbers depending on the game.
Barcelona's summer business also features prominently. ONE prices Julián Álvarez at 13 million and flags him as a genuine fantasy option if his heavily rumoured move from Atlético Madrid to Barcelona actually goes through this window, alongside Anthony Gordon, who arrived from Newcastle United and is credited with the pace, directness and end product to trouble fantasy defences from the flank.
Rodri also gets a mention as a potential Barcelona addition, with ONE stressing he is not yet officially a Barça player, while Atlético's Adeyemi Lookman is highlighted for the pace and dribbling that could make him a differential pick if he settles quickly in Madrid.
Pedri rounds out ONE's list of contenders, with the site suggesting the Barcelona midfielder could break into the fantasy elite if he adds more goals and assists to his already elite chance-creation numbers.
The framing throughout is squarely about ONE's own Fantasy La Liga game, which runs on a 120-million budget used to assemble a 15-player squad — 11 starters and four substitutes — mirroring the format ONE also runs for Israel's Ligat Ha'Al. The verdict, for now: start with Yamal or Mbappé, but expect the chase for the crown to be far tighter than it was twelve months ago.
